‘Dengue casualty rate 1% in private hospitals and clinics’

With almost all hospitals in Dhaka, and public hospitals across Bangladesh struggling to provide services to dengue patients, the casualty rate of dengue patients, however, is only 1% in private hospitals, and clinics in the country.

About 23% to 25% of the patients tested positive for dengue while 77% to 80% were released after recovery, and about 20% are currently receiving treatment in private hospitals, and clinics, said Bangladesh Private Hospital, Clinic, and Diagnostic Owners’ Association (BPCDOA) President Dr Md Moniruzzaman Bhuiyan.

Health Emergency Operations Centre and Control Room at Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said as many as 62,217 dengue patients were hospitalized and 47 died this year since January 1 to 8am yesterday.

A total of 1,179 dengue patients have been admitted to different hospitals across Bangladesh in the last 24 hours. Among them, 570 patients were admitted in Dhaka, and 609 in districts outside Dhaka.

A total of 47 patients died from dengue across Bangladesh from January 1 till yesterday, according to the DGHS data. However, the unofficial death toll is reported to be over 109, so far.

In contrary to the claim by BPCDOA that the casualty rate is only 1% in private hospitals and clinics, the DGHS data shows a different picture.

DGHS says a total of 37,005 people got admissions into Dhaka's public and private hospitals since January 1 to yesterday while 45 of them died.

A total of 14,289 of them got admissions into private hospitals or clinics, and 34 of them died. it says.

This means 72% of the deaths are officially reported in the private hospitals that dealt with about 39% of the patients.

On the role of doctors’ associations in tackling dengue menace, he said doctors and nurses in private hospitals and clinics are working extra hours for dengue patients, and nine doctors have already died of dengue.

The association president stated this at an extended BPCDOA meeting held at a city hospital in Dhaka yesterday.

Dr MA Quasem, a BPCDOA member, said the government could not have tackled this huge number of dengue patients effectively if it were not for the private hospitals, and clinics.

BPCDOA Secretary General Dr Md Mainul Ahsan said: “At this moment we are not thinking about profit. This is why we are not charging more than Tk500 for NS1 test even if there are additional costs.”

BPCDOA Vice President Dr Gazi Mizanur Rahman said dengue fever was limited to Dhaka city areas, but this year it has spread to other districts.

“We found [dengue] patients who did not travel to Dhaka, and there were no people in their area [neighbourhood] who travelled to Dhaka. But they still got dengue fever,” he said.

All professors, emergency service doctors, nurses and supporting staff of each of the government hospitals are working round the clock to save people's lives as the government has cancelled all leaves of hospital staff to tackle the dengue situation across the country.

Since the beginning of the dengue menace, all doctors, seniors and juniors, have been working nonstop to serve the patients.

Two die of dengue

Two more people have died of dengue in Mymensingh and Dhaka districts on Friday.

In Mymensingh, A five-year-old boy died from dengue at Mymensingh Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) while undergoing treatment.

The deceased is Zarif Mia, son of Md Arif Mia, of Shikarikanda in Mymensingh’s Sadar upazila. Arif Mia lives in Gazipur with his family, reports UNB.

MMCH Deputy Director, Dr Lakshmi Narayan Majumder, said Zarif died at the hospital around 6:30pm on Friday.

He said the boy was suffering from dengue fever, and was undergoing treatment at Gazipur General Hospital.

As his condition deteriorated, the hospital authorities referred him to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

However, the family admitted Zarif to the Paediatric Ward of Mymensingh Medical College and Hospital around 5pm on the day, said Dr Lakshmi.

In Dhaka, a man named Mahbub, 32, hailing from Narayanganj died from dengue in a private hospital in Dhaka's Jatrabari area.